Adventures in Sunnydale
by Gloria Underhill
Summary: InuYasha Buffy crossover. rated for language mostly. A spell gone wrong brings InuYasha to Sunnydale, where he must fend of stink bombs, invisible imps and the perfume industry whil trying to get home.
1. Default Chapter

"*_Words_*" - Japanese

"Words" - English

'Words' - Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any characters there in.****

Chapter 1: Welcome to America

          It was close to midnight in Sunnydale, when deep in the park a young hot pink demon stood in front of a campfire amid various arcane symbols clumsily scratched in the dirt.  He faced the fire and started to chant. As he came to the end he raised his voice and arms in a dramatic show, and waited. Silence.

          "Aw…. Fuck!  It didn't work. Shit!" The impatient youth stomped off into the night cursing.

Suddenly a blue light surrounded the fire and a figure clad in red with long white hair that flowed around his scowling face as if under water floated down into the fire before solidifying.

          He blinked. Then realized that he was standing in fire, even if it didn't make since, and jumped back.

          "*_Shit! What the fuck? Who…_*" He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "*_What the hell_?*"

          He stopped, turning to all of his senses to answer the questions.  The smells of a forest were there, only … different, and overlaid with the smell of humans. Many humans. And behind it all was the nasty smell of … machines.

          He listened. Wind, fire, small fury animals, and…he sighed, the sounds of 'modern' life.  Where ever he was the well was nowhere in sight, and neither was the shrine.  Something had gone wrong. And his feet were badly burnt.  So he went off deeper into the park to find a suitable tree to think and heal in.

*

          Buffy walked through the park, stake in hand, with Giles stumbling along behind her.

          "It should be right up ahead." He said.

          Buffy stepped into the clearing. The rising sun shedding a little light on the ritual site.  She looked at the patterns in the dirt.

          "Yep, looks like…something." She said.

          Giles started taking notes, "Last night at this location the fabric of space time was unusually thin.  I was worried that something might try to take advantage of that."

          "Great, so… what happened?"

          Giles silently traveled around the circumference of the site. Then sat down and looked over his notes.

          "It was very poorly done, very amateur." He said at last. "It looks like whatever it was, was trying to pull the greatest demon warriors of all time from their times and places to Sunnydale, now."

          "Great," Buffy said lamely, "So, how many and how powerful?"

          "It really isn't that specific." Giles furrowed his brow, "I doubt that you have anything to worry about though. This is really quite clumsy. Besides this area by the fire seems to be the focal point, the earth would be disturbed if it was successful."

          "Um…how about this…" Buffy pointed a few feet to the side.  There in the dirt was the clear imprint of two bare feet.  They turned and headed for the tree line. "An accomplice maybe?"

          Giles shook his head, "No, I don't think so.  Keep an eye out for someone new, if this spell did manage to pull anyone here they would be very powerful and very dangerous."

          "Goody, Legendary demon warrior fun." Buffy sighed as she trotted off to school.

*

A/N: I started it before I even considered posting anything and rediscovered it a while ago. I think I am fudging with time a little. This takes place fairly early in both series. Pre Kouga and Angelus. So Angel's around and even might show up later, it's in the plan. I do actually have a plot and a loose outline.


	2. First Impressions

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any characters there in.****

Chapter 2: First Impressions

InuYasha scowled down at the humans that were happily chatting away, in an unknown language, as they walked through the park. There were far too many of them, humans in large numbers still made him nervous. And that made him aggressive. And that scared the humans, and large numbers of scared humans could turn aggressive.  And no matter how powerful he got, he never seemed able to shake the memories of a childhood alone, around humans.

          He stretched out on his branch. Better to leave these memories alone.  He would wait for night to fall when the crowds were less and his feet were healed before seeking answers.

          In the early evening InuYasha dropped gracefully to the ground and headed for the lights of the city.

Walking down the 'stone' streets among the humans gave him an odd feeling. It was like they didn't notice him at all. No smell of fear, no looks of disgust, no quickly diverted eyes. Nothing at all. What was wrong with these people?  Even Kagome's eyes would drift to and linger on his ears and claws, true it was with a fascinated and almost…warm look, but she did notice them at least.

          After a while of walking like this he began to get annoyed.  So he decided to just break down and grab some one.  He remembered what Kagome told him during the ink oni incident, "If you insist on harassing innocent peasants yourself, you might try to be a little polite, people tend to be more forthcoming with information when not too scared to speak." All right then, he would see if it worked any better for him this time around.

          A group of teens were hanging around a dark, noisy building, they looked about as promising as anyone else, so he grabbed the closest one and said, "*_Excuse me, where the **hell** am I_?*"

The girl noticed him for the first time, and said something that sounded rude.

InuYasha yelled "*_And__ what is that racket?_*" The music from the Bronze was just a little too loud for his poor ears and this was not improving his mood.  His grip on the clueless Sunnydalian tightened slightly as his mood worsened.

          The girl in his grasp had had enough. Now she was being yelled at in a foreign language and the guys um…claws were biting into her arm. When she realized that he had claws she decided to freak out. So she began to scream, a lot.

          InuYasha let go of the hysterical girl and backed up a few paces. "*_What the Hell?__ Stop screaming and talk to me bitch_.*" By this time more people started to gather to see what was happening. InuYasha took one look at the gathering crowd before letting out a quick growl and taking off for the safety of the park.

"What's with that guy?"

"What a freak."

"Hey Willow, what'd I miss?" Xander glanced at the dissipating crowd.

          "Oh, just some guy with dog ears yelling at random teens. Do you think that this has something to do what Giles was talking about?"

          "Well he said look for anything new and that definitely sounds new."

          "Yeah." 'Oh well, one less night to relax at the bronze.' Willow thought.

*

"Maybe you should just tell me what happened from the beginning." Giles sighed looking across the library table at the overly nervous girl, "When did you first notice him?"

          "Well I was standing outside of the Bronze waiting for Xander, when I saw this guy. At first I thought 'Weird outfit'. It was all red and sorta… strange, but you know how some kids act to get attention. Oh yeah, I also noticed his really _long_ white hair and gold eyes too, but he was just walking around in the crowd so I thought 'couldn't be a demon.' Right? I mean he looked kinda annoyed, well _really_ annoyed, but not homicidal or anything…Anyway that is when he grabbed this girl and yelled something in another language, but nothing happened till he yelled again and she started to scream.  That's when I noticed the ears, like dog-ears on top of his head, he let go of her, said something, looked around and took off. Oh," she jumped in her seat, "and he was bare foot and had claws and fangs and a sword.. um a …. katana, I think." Willow sat back and waited.

          "So," Giles was used to Willows rambling style and had been taking notes, "this…boy, had white hair, golden eyes, fangs, claws, went barefoot, and carried a katana." He paused, "You did say barefoot right?" Willow nodded. "This might just be the warrior pulled in by the spell."

          "So…." Buffy interjected, "we have a teenaged demon warrior running around lose?"

          "It seems so," Giles turned to her, "actually it sounds like we have a confused adolescent male great demon warrior running around lose."

          "Ooo…. Bad combo right" Xander looked around for conformation.

          "Indeed." Giles granted, "Buffy keep an eye out for this guy on patrol tonight-"

          "Really? I thought I'd just ignore his existence until he was ready to wreck the town." Buffy interrupted.

          "Willow Xander and I will 'hit the books'." He continued, ignoring her.

          Buffy grabbed her bag as she returned to patrol, leaving the others to the dusty books that never seemed to give quite enough information.

          Willow and Xander turned to Giles. "I think, given the katana, we might begin our search in the Far East."

*

Buffy walked through the park. This was were the demon had appeared so maybe he would return. The park was nicely empty and the long shadows of an almost full moon gave the forest that wonderful creepy look you want when you're out searching for vampires and demons.

          Buffy turned her mind from that cheerful thought, "At least there is some light tonight." She mumbled, she hated to patrol on moonless nights when she could barely see.

          She felt an unfamiliar shiver down her spine, and looked around for the cause at ground level.

InuYasha watched her turn around in circles from his tree branch. "*_Feh, stupid humans, they never look up_*" he smirked.

          Buffy suddenly got the unmistakable sign of impending vampires. InuYasha smelled dead humans and sat up in interest. What could it mean to have dead humans walking about?

          Five vampires jumped out of the brush and attacked Buffy, two were dusted before they could react. The other three put up more of a fight. They were older, and knew who they were dealing with. InuYasha watched the fight and saw one hanging back in the shadows, waiting for a chance to jump her. 

          Buffy was down to one scraper and the one in the shadows was about to make his move when InuYasha jumped down beside him and sliced off his head with his claws. It surprised him a bit that his opponent was so slow to react to him and also when he turned to dust. That was something he could get used to, demon goo was so smelly and hard to get out of clothes and hair, he could handle a little dust. 

He sneezed, maybe not. He thought bitterly as he sneezed again.

          Buffy had just finished off the last vampire when she heard a strange sneeze. She turned in the direction of the noise and zeroed in when she heard it again. 

"Come out, I know your in there!" she called into the shadows of the large tree.

InuYasha turned to the girl, '*_What__ the hell did she say_?*' He decided to step, out she obviously knew he was there, and he was no coward. Even if it was undignified to be located by a sneeze. He stepped into the moonlight, preceded by the predatory glowing of his eyes as they reflected the moonlight.

          "Wow." Buffy said once he made it out into the light. The moon reflected off of his silver/white hair and golden/amber eyes. His beautiful masculine features gracefully covered by pale skin. He crossed his arms and smirked down at her.

          She was still in fighting stance, so he didn't take the time the time to observe her beauty. Still he noticed her blonde hair,  there was a lot of girls with yellow hair here, but most of them smelled …bad. This one had only her own smell. 

"*_Hey, youkai exterminator, why don't you tell me where I am, huh?__ Or do you want to fight me with your little stick? I won't turn to dust IF you manage to hit me!_*" he laughed and put his hands on his hips.

          "Confident much?" Buffy returned, she didn't understand his words but his stance, and years of fighting vampires and demons let her get the gist of his little speech. "Are you going to fight or just stand there all night?" that smile of his was really creeping her out. She crouched down to get into a better position for pouncing.

_"*If you can't talk, or back down then I can at least get some exercise_.*" He was interested to see this strange blonde youkai exterminator fight again, she seemed faster and stronger than a normal human, but those…undead things were very easy to kill. 

'*_Anyway, Kagome and the rest aren't here to see me fighting this human bitch_.*' he thought as he unfolded his arms and assumed a fighting stance, '*_Just a little fun before morning_*'

The way that he brandished his claws made Buffy very nervous, it looked like he actually used them! Most demons just had them for show or at least rarely fought with them.  And the wicked grin showing off his fangs made him look a little too happy to get down to the main event.

InuYasha charged, Buffy dodged to the side at the last minute and threw his arm back hitting her across the shoulders knocking her forward. He spun to face her scowling. "*_Come on, bitch you did better than that against those fucking human dust bags_!*"

          Buffy was up and facing him in no time, "OK, your fast, I can compensate for that."  She ran to him at top speed and tried to punch his face with her left hand and stab him with the stake with her right. InuYasha dodged both attacks with a grin, this was a little better.

          InuYasha reached out and punched her in her exposed side and she toppled again. "*_If your going to fall down every fucking time I touch you I might as well go to sleep_.*"

But Buffy recovered again, far faster than InuYasha had expected. Usually humans stayed down for a few minutes even with his lightest punches. Thus Buffy got in a few good hits, as well a couple of kicks. InuYasha didn't look too bad but some of those hits hurt! And from a human too!

          InuYasha jumped over her head to some distance from her, they had been fighting for a while now and she didn't seem to be wearing down much. He didn't want to be fighting when the rest of the humans woke up. He had to knock her out and get to a hiding place soon.

Buffy was having similar thought, she had school in a few hours, she charged him with all her remaining speed, he jumped up, she saw that he was coming down for a hard blow to her head, dove and rolled, throwing the sharpened wooden stick in his direction.

It sank deep into his thigh. He landed and pulled it out he looked at Buffy, absolutely pissed. He pulled the stake out and started toward her when a shrill laugh stopped him. The humans had begun to rise. InuYasha threw down the offending wood and took off deeper into the park.

*

A/N: I know, Buffy kinda got whooped. But this is early on for her, and InuYasha is a great demon warrior in the making. Give her time, InuYasha is unlike any demon she's fought so far.


	3. New Developments

          Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.****

Chapter 3: New Developments and Research

"Here's something!" Willow exclaimed.

"…Well?" Zander prompted after a pause.

"Well it says here that Japanese dog youkia are easily identified by their yellow, golden or amber eyes, their strong claws and prominent canine teeth."

"Is that it?" Zander asked.

"It goes on to say that no humans have reported seeing any for almost 500 years... but it seems to fit, I mean there are lots of demons that pop up after centuries of laying low."

          "But why would they leave out the ears.  That is a pretty big feature." Zander looked up from his book.

          "Ah, I've been thinking about that," Willow jumped for another book in the 'been through pile', "this book says that … wait …ah here it is!" she rested the book on the table, "While it was rare for the various species of youkia to mix successfully, it happened more often than youkia/human mixes. The product of which was thought to be so undesirable that both of the parents, youkia and human, as well as the child were killed as soon as possible. The half youkia children were easy to identify because, while a youkia has two forms (one human form and one power form from which the name of it's species is derived), the half youkia were born in a form between these two making them look half transformed and impossible to hide."

          "Wow." Zander sat back in his chair. "Humans would breed with demons?"

          "Zander I think that with his ears he looks pretty half transformed." Willow sat back now too. "Now that I think about it… his face even had a sort of canine look to it. In a… handsome kinda way."

          "Excuse me?" Zander started, "Dog-boy was handsome?  I didn't know you were into the violent-demon-animal guys!"

          "Grow up! I just said he was KINDA handsome. KINDA. As in not too dog like, I guess." Willow defended herself.

For the rest of the day InuYasha sat in trees healing and pondering, while Buffy slept through her classes.

InuYasha listened to the inane chatter of the unhurried population of Sunnydale. The ones that had time to spend the day in the park. It annoy him greatly that not a single feature of the folks below resembled the ones back home.  Not a single hope of communicating with anyone and getting back to Kagome and the shard hunt, and revenge.  Funny how revenge was almost an after thought right now. The third priority instead of the first. Of course if that was true then that would mean that the first priority…

          A ball hit him in the head interrupting his train of thought.  He quickly tossed the ball away from the tree and moved a safe distance from the field he had been watching.

          Buffy relayed the fight for Giles, Zander and Willow.

          "So he was tough, huh?" Willow asked, concerned.

          "Yeah," Buffy lay her head down on the table, "But right at the end he started in on moves and stuff," Yawn, " like he was holding back before."

          "So he attacked you, just like that?" Zander asked, "Well I guess that proves he's evil."

          "Maybe," Buffy lifted her head, "I just wish I knew what he said before we fought.  He didn't get in fighting pose until he had talked for, like, five minutes."

          "Well regardless, he is wounded," Giles interrupted, "I would suggest that you rest tonight and renew your search tomorrow night."

          Buffy agreed with a yawn and a nod. Then the scoobies filled her in on what they had learned about their new "friend".

'_Four days_,' InuYasha thought, staring up at the full moon, '_four fucking useless frustrating days I've been here._'

          He hadn't gotten far. He hung out in the trees healing. Roamed a little at night, but people either ignored him or ran screaming from him.  Not that it really mattered, he couldn't communicate with them any way.

          He had learned some things. He now knew what was meant by "ball" "Frisbee" "dog" "catch" "hot dog" "hamburger" "litter" and "garbage".

And he was homing in on the differences in "hi" and "Hello". Not that he cared overly much, but it was something to do.

          God he missed home. There, he at least knew what people screamed as they ran. There he could grab someone and yell at them and make them answer him.  There he knew many places to hide, rest, and bath. Man he wanted a bath. He was too exposed here to take one, and the water smelled kind of funny, and tasted funny too. And he had no soap.

          '_I wonder if they notice that I'm gone. Or if they care_.' InuYasha was getting depressed.

          "Six day and no sign of our favorite dog demon." Buffy examined the carrots. The girls were out shopping for munchies and decided to give produce a try. "I wonder if he went home?"

"I doubt it Buffy, He didn't do anything yet. I mean why come here fight with you and then leave. It wasn't even a decisive battle, you both just kinda left."  Willow headed for the fruit.

          "Well, he was pulled here by that spell," Buffy reasoned, "he might even be from a different time. What about that, huh? Could he just zap himself back there?"

          "Maybe he did." Willow said defensively. She picked up an apple and looked at it. Suddenly, the front dropped out of all of the fruit bins. And the apples, oranges, tangerines, every fruit in the store fell crashing to the floor.

          Willow quickly put down the apple she was holding and stepped out of the store.

"Eight days a week" was playing some where in the park.  Actually eight days had passed since InuYasha had arrived. Not that he got the irony. He had just figured out "I" "we" "come" "play" "ice cream" and had a concept of "soda" "pop" and "cola" as some kind of drinks. He was getting restless and bored. He wanted to fight something. That girl with the blond hair was a good candidate. But he didn't want to hurt anything that might be human and in his current condition it might be difficult to control his strength. Besides fighting an opponent that can't understand you isn't very gratifying.

          InuYasha sighed, stretched on his branch and continued his English lesson.

          The next day Buffy and Willow were drinking slushies after school, walking down the street when a horrible racket of blowing horns and angry yelling got their attention. Every traffic light had suddenly gone green. Well, right now they were green at first they had just made sure that every one was at one intersection and then they all turned green.

          It was a mess.

          Buffy turned to Willow, "This is getting weird."

          Willow nodded.

          Little things like the fruit stand and this traffic jam were happening all around town.  Nothing too big, just annoying little things that inconvenienced a lot of people. Buffy had had a bad feeling about it when it all started with the fruit. Now she still had that feeling, but there didn't seem to be anything behind it. No linking factors.

          InuYasha walked down the street a few days later. No one seemed to notice him anyway unless he tried to get noticed. He was very hungry and tired of rodents and too proud for garbage.  He would steal something. Perhaps a "hamburger". He didn't want to bring attention to himself in the park, so he left in search of an easy mark in the city.

          While trying to figure out how to steal the food without bringing to much attention to himself he caught whiff of something strange.  A youkia-esk smell flitting about. He followed it to a strip mall and into a store.

          A pet store. He sniffed around, trying to place the smell, both in his mind and in the store. The place smelled awful. Scared, nervous and young, animals stank the place up. Litter that needed changed. Nasty aromatic foods.  It was far too pungent. InuYasha decided that it wasn't worth it and tried to leave the store.

          As soon as his hands touched the door it flew open. So did all the cages. All the birds hamsters, rats, mice, dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. Ran out of the store and to freedom. Sort of. Traffic on the streets stopped and everyone ran around trying desperately to catch the poor misguided creatures.

          InuYasha shook his head. The behavior made him think of something Kagome might do. It was stupid and useless… and very sweet and kind.

          InuYasha used the opportunity to steal several hamburgers, a bag of fries and a soft drink.  In the direction of the pet store he thought that he heard laughter.  But he shook it off and headed back to the park for lunch.

          Willow and Zander sat in the cafeteria, staring off into space dismally. Things were not going well on the research front. It was reported that a guy with white hair and red clothes, and no shoes, had opened the door and let out all the animals at the pet store. That had sent them all back to the books trying to figure out what his game was and why a great warrior was pulling pranks.

          Sara Lost, a classmate of theirs walked over and sat her tray down next to them. Ever the nosy and helpful baby of the family she asked, "What's wrong guys?"

          "We're having trouble with this … report that were doing." Zander said.

          "Oh…Can I help?" she inquired.

          "Not unless you know anything about Japanese Dog Demons." Willow sighed.

          Sara blinked. "Well… my grandpas' shrine, back in Japan, has a thousand year old tree that was said to once have had a dog youkia pinned to it for fifty years."

          Willow and Zander jumped in their seats.

          "Really? Wow… that's …weird." Willow said.

          "And coincidental." Zander piped in.

          "Do you know anything else?" Willow asked, "For the paper." She added hastily.

          Sara frowned, "Mom used to put me to sleep with the stories grampa told her when she was young.  Let me see….uh, before and after the warring states era they ignored and avoided humans. But around that time they were quite active. A lot of youkia lore around that time, I think that there was supposed to be something that brought them all out besides the general chaos of the times.  Um…they were violent, unpredictable, excellent warriors, highly instinctive. That all lead to them being fiercely protective of their lands, property, family, friends and mates." Sara finished with a blush.

          "Ah." Zander raised his eyebrows.

"Anything else?" Willow prompted.

          "Well, there are differences in power according to color, I think white is the most powerful," Sara continued slowly. "and brown the least? I'm not really sure."

          "What about weaknesses?" Zander decided to be helpful. "How could they be defeated?"

          Sara blinked at the strange question. "Um…well, they were adverse to loud noises and even more so to bad smells. Mom thought that was why they stayed away form human settlements, you know… primitive city's" Sara wrinkled her nose to demonstrate. "I've never heard anything about defeating them."

          "What about that pinned to a tree thing?" Zander asked.

          "A powerful miko shot him with an enchanted arrow pinning him to the sacred tree and sending him into a fifty year slumber, after he attacked her village.  Then someone came along and freed him. That's about all I know."

          "Thanks," Willow took out her notebook, "Oh! Wait, do you speak Japanese?"

          Sara gave willow a sad look, "No, I can't remember anything except for good morning. But my cousin is coming over from Japan today. I could ask her, if you give me an idea of what you want.  But you have to keep it simple. She's been kinda sickly lately and I think that one of her friends at the hospital must have died or something 'cause their sending her here on her break for a change of scenery."

          Willow nodded her understanding and commenced writing notes on what she had been told, and then began working on a list of words that might help them deal with the demon, and not raise suspicions as to her sanity.

          Later that day in the library the team had gathered for a huddle.  Willow and Zander filled in the rest of the team on Sara's input.

          "So what are we looking at? Dog whistles and stink bombs?" Buffy asked when they were done.

          "Well, I think that stink bombs are our best bet," Willow replayed, "but we have to make sure it's strong enough to knock him down. So, Buffy, would you buy us some masks so that none of us are too effected by it?"

          "Sure, no Prob. What are you guys going to do?" she asked.

          "Somebody has to make the stink bomb." Zander made yippee gestures as he rose to gather their materials.


	4. Stink Bombs

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.  
  
Chapter 4: Stink Bombs and Cousins  
  
The next day Buffy skipped school to hover around the strip mall. The last few incidents occurred here. Each increasing in annoyance and danger level. The last one had all the TVs in a three-block radius blaring nonstop Barney for three hours. Several shopkeepers nearly went insane.  
  
The silver haired stranger had not been reported, but that didn't mean that he wasn't around. So armed with her gas mask and several, small supper stink bombs. Buffy went about the job of looking inconspicuous.  
  
'No, I'm not supposed to be in school right now.' She thought dryly, 'What, this?' she fingered the mask behind her back, 'never know when there might be an air raid, right? Please, please PLEASE no one notice me!'  
  
Just then she noticed InuYasha skulking around looking like something had him by the nose. Buffy got up to investigate.  
  
He entered the computer store. Buffy followed a few paces behind. InuYasha had one ear turned toward her, but she wasn't used to demons with that kind of appendage so she didn't realize that he was keeping track of her.  
  
Suddenly InuYasha stopped and started to look all around the store. '_Damn it! Where is that little fucker_?' no matter how he tried to find it, it always seemed to hide in its own smell. Then he seemed to catch a thread, its smell was somewhat different as it aged. He had it now!  
  
That is if the every single speaker and electronic devise hadn't simultaneously gone off, creating and earsplitting noise that drove InuYasha to his knees. Momentarily. In a matter of seconds he was out in the middle of the parking lot, panting.  
  
Buffy made her escape as well, yelling at InuYasha not to run away. Not that he could hear her, hell, she couldn't hear her. That's when she noticed the storefront next door explode. She tentatively approached the gaping hole that once announced some sort of insurance sales. People were rushing to get out while all of the furniture, cubical walls and pictures crashed to the floor and made their way to the rear corner.  
  
Buffy was forced to leave to store front by the throng trying to escape and decided to try and capture InuYasha, after all that is what she had come to do and she really couldn't deal with whatever was going on inside the store. I mean, there was nothing there!  
  
InuYasha was staring at the store, trying to decide whither he should try and get the thing or wait for the crowd to die down and his ears to stop ringing. Then he saw Buffy looking right at him. Ok, it was time to leave, not time for a fight. Huh, what would the others think if they heard him say that? He turned to run when a small POP startled him. Dark clouds of disgusting smoke suddenly surrounded him. POP POP POP the horrible smell over powered him as he tried to crawl away. POP POP. InuYasha couldn't stand it any longer, the pavement reaching up to smack his head was the icing on the cake. He thought he might try to defend himself but the horizon kept spinning and jumping and the forces pulled his arms down to the ground, he closed his eyes for a moment against the horrid sight and knew nothing more.  
  
Buffy sat in the library after lunch doing homework from her morning classes. Good ol' Willow had retrieved it for her. "Those bombs really did the trick, I thought he was going to throw up or something. What was in them any way?"  
  
"Uh, just some stuff that dogs can't stand," Willow replied from her position on the floor in front of the cage, they were in the storage/weapon room off to the side of the main library. "Some sent of rancid burning flesh, after that, you really don't want to know."  
  
"O-k, how did your morning go? Any luck on the learning Japanese?"  
  
"Yeah," Willow was still staring at the unconscious InuYasha, "I got a few phrases, nothing too in depth but maybe enough to keep him from attacking us." She turned to Buffy, "If he isn't flat out evil I mean. You don't think he's evil, do you?"  
  
Buffy looked at InuYasha, he was still green and scowling but his face lacked the lines of evil. Whatever those were. "I don't know. I don't think he had anything to do with what's been going on in the strip mall, not the way he reacted to the noise. And that time we fought, I got the impression he was holding back. He didn't use his claws. And his face and voice lacked actual...evilness. I mean he was scraping for a fight and arrogant as hell, but who am I to jump on that? ... Better not to take any chances though, he is a demon. He might still see us as inferior life forms and kill us for capturing him or something."  
  
"He's kinda ... beautiful, isn't he?" Willow turned back to InuYasha. "I mean once you get used to looking at demons and take away the green and the scowl."  
  
Buffy smiled remembering the image of him coming out of the shadows. "Yeah, I guess. Is that why you're over there?"  
  
"No!" Willow jumped, "I thought that it would be best if someone would watch over him, so that when he woke up we could deal with him right away so he wouldn't attack us! Really." The last thing she wanted her friends to think was that she had a crush on a demon, which she didn't, she just thought he was beautiful.  
  
"Actually that's a good idea, and since you're the only one that might be able to communicate at all with him why don't you stay there all the time until he wakes up." Buffy said cheerfully.  
  
"A-All the time?" Willow echoed.  
  
"Well it makes since." Buffy smiled sweetly.  
  
Buffy did not make Willow stay all night with the caged InuYasha, and he slept all night. The next morning however Willow was back at her post. Dutifully watching the slumbering InuYasha as he regained his normal shade of pale.  
  
The whole gang was there when he did wake up. Shortly before first period.  
  
He slowly turned his ears catching the conversation in bits and pieces.  
  
"I blah blah that blah blah blah him."  
  
"Blah blah blah blah don't blah."  
  
"What blah I blah blah wrong"  
  
"Go blah blah he blah blah blah here blah lunch"  
  
"I blah his blah opened."  
  
He could see out of the crack of his eye the group that included the annoying blonde turn to stare at him. A red headed girl was only a few feet from the door of the cage that held him. She walked over and knelt down, she had a timid and worried face. "_good morning_" she started slowly.  
  
InuYasha opened his eyes more and scowled, "_How in the fucking hell is it a good morning? I'm nauseous and in a cage_!"  
  
Willow turned Buffy.  
  
Buffy shook her head "I think that he's still sick."  
  
"Oh," back to InuYasha, "_we are good people, don't worry_"  
  
InuYasha frowned, "_then let me out of this fucking cage_." to emphasis his point he rattled the bars. Willow jumped, InuYasha smirked, "_Nervous bitch aren't you? Are you getting any of this_?"  
  
Willow sighed, "_we can't let you out. I can't understand you, these lines were written for me, they are all I know_."  
  
"_Great. How long am I supposed to humor you for? I can break this stupid cage any time I feel like it_." InuYasha leaned his head back and closed his eyes.  
  
"_Water_." Willow was holing a bottle of water through the bars reaching in to him.  
  
InuYasha blinked, "_you realize I could take your arm off right now_?" he looked to Buffy, "_Hey, youkai exterminator, teach this little bitch some common sense or keep her away from the youkai_!"  
  
To illustrate his point he leaned forward quickly and grabbed Willows wrist. Everyone jumped. InuYasha smirked, took the water bottle and sat back. He opened the bottle, took a swig and closed his eyes to listen to the room around him.  
  
"Willow, maybe you shouldn't stand so close to the violent unpredictable demon." Xander said.  
  
"Are you ok, Willow?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah, he just surprised me." Willow looked up at the clock, "We have two minutes before class!" the three teens darted from the room leaving InuYasha allow with Giles.  
  
"_I don't guess you know any Japanese_" InuYasha was still smirking with his eyes closed. He clutched the bottle of water and waited for his head and stomach to settle enough for him to think about his next action.  
  
Giles just shook his head and returned to the main library.  
  
At lunch the group was once again at the small table in the storage room thinking about what to do about InuYasha.  
  
"Sara brought her cousin to school today," Willow piped up, "maybe she could help us translate."  
  
"Yeah that's an idea!" Xander was getting frustrated. "Course how do we explain the ears and cage and the phrase I'm a demon and want to eat your brains?"  
  
"Uh.. right" Willow pouted and glanced at InuYasha he was staring at her with those amber eyes, all ... angry. Well he was in a cage. She sighed, stood up grabbed a breakfast bar and walking over to him. "Are you hungry?" she asked waving the food at him, from outside the cage this time. InuYasha sniffed, crinkled his nose, said "keh" and turned his head away.  
  
"Fine, be that way." Willow returned to her seat.  
  
"I think we should give it a try." Buffy took the bar from Willow. "Like get him talking, write it down and see what it means."  
  
"And how would we explain the content?" Giles asked.  
  
Buffy shrugged, "Weird sense of humor?"  
  
"And this is the library!" Sara's voice rang out from the main room. "You can stay here until classes are out, it's really quiet, no one will bother you."  
  
InuYasha head jerked toward the door. His eyes staring with more propose than Buffy had seen yet. His ears at full attention. '_It can't be_.'  
  
"_Thank you_ cousin, I'm sure I will be fine." A small, sad, girls' voice filtered into the stock room.  
  
InuYasha lips parted and he breathed, "...Kagome..."  
  
A/N: Let's see... normal pairings (that's Inu/Kag Angel/Buffy) (Inu/Buffy feels like Inu/Kik to me for some reason), I might have a place for Spike latter, Angel should show up latter and thanks for the spelling heads up. 


	5. Exposition

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.  
  
Chapter 5: Exposition  
  
InuYasha tore through the cage door and bolted for the library. To the humans it was like he simply appeared at the library door.  
  
Willow gasped and Buffy took off after InuYasha. Desperate to get him before he caused a scene in the high school.  
  
InuYasha, meanwhile, had thrown open the door and paused, "Kagome!" he shouted. He wouldn't believe his nose or his ears, but add to that his eyes and he had to believe. It was her!  
  
"InuYasha!" came the desperate reply.  
  
InuYasha darted from the doorway just as Buffy reached it. She stopped and blinked several times. The others were just behind her and had a similar reaction to the scene before them.  
  
"I guess this solves that problem." Willow laughed nervously.  
  
Sara stared wide-eyed at her cousin, who was caught up in a deep hug and nearly in tears, as a strange albino buried his face in her hair.  
  
"I take it you know each other?" Buffy approached the joyful scene carefully.  
  
InuYasha and Kagome's eyes flew open at being observed, and they hopped away from each other.  
  
"Ah..._yes, sorry_" Kagome turned to her cousin, "This is my friend. InuYasha..."  
  
"Is this the one that you've been so worried about? How'd he get here? You never told me he was an albino Kagome." Sara spilled.  
  
"Albino?" the scoobies choirest.  
  
Kagome looked confused, then brightened considerately. With a large smile she jumped to confirm her cousins' suspicions. "Yes! He is an albino, but he is sensitive about it. I met him in the hospital. He is too brash and gets hurt a lot." '_At least that's true_.' she thought.  
  
"Oh..." Sara exclaimed, "I was wondering about that, since your mother said that it wasn't any of your school friends. And you were so sick all the time."  
  
"_Hey, Kagome, what's going on_?" InuYasha questioned.  
  
Kagome turned back to InuYasha, "_InuYasha, this is my cousin Sara, I've been staying with her for two days now, s-since you didn't come back...I...we couldn't find you..."_ she started to tear up again, "_we thought...we thought.._." she was actually crying now and ran back into InuYasha arms.  
  
"_Stop crying stupid, I'm right here_." InuYasha put his arms around her.  
  
"How did he get here, Kagome?" Sara repeated.  
  
Buffy to the rescue, "Was that the bell?"  
  
"Oh NO! I can't be late again! See ya later Kagome. Bye." Sara waved as she bolted out the door.  
  
"The bell is ten minutes away." Willow glanced at her watch.  
  
"Oh, well, now that she's gone, we can get some answers." Buffy said innocently.  
  
They all turned to look at Kagome and InuYasha. Kagome still had her face buried in his "shirt" and InuYasha was absently petting her hair.  
  
"That's so sweet." Willow cooed quietly.  
  
"She does know he's a demon," Xander asked, "and a dog?"  
  
At the sudden attention the couple once again sprang apart, this time blushing vibrantly and staring at the floor.  
  
"And that's so cute!" Willow exclaimed.  
  
"NO! It's not like that! He... we...." Kagome sputtered, then shouted, "WE JUST HAVE THIS STUPID QUEST!"  
  
InuYasha looked at Willow suspiciously. What had she said that upset Kagome?  
  
"Anyway...." Buffy turned to Kagome, "Why don't you tell us about yourself and your...friend?"  
  
Kagome blinked, "Like I told my cousin-"she started.  
  
Buffy shook her head and waved her arms in a negative gesture to silence Kagome, "No, no. Let's try this again." She approached Kagome with a big cheerful smile on her face, "Hi! My name is Buffy, that is Willow, Xander and Giles." Each one waved in turn, "I am a Vampire slayer, though I have expanded to slaying demons lately." Buffy paused for effect. "Your friend here is a demon. I know. I know you know, and now you know I know you know. So maybe you could find out what he is up to so I know wither or not I have to slay him."  
  
Kagome's eyes went wide and she jumped between Buffy and InuYasha, who gave her a curious look. "No! InuYasha is good!"  
  
Buffy crossed her arms, "If he's so good then why did he attack me?"  
  
Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously and she spun to face InuYasha, "_InuYasha, Did you attack this girl?"_  
  
InuYasha took a step back, his hands lifted in a pacifying gesture, "_S-she started it! She wouldn't back down! She's a youkai exterminator! L- look she isn't even hurt_!"  
  
The Americans didn't miss the humor in seeing this bad ass demon warrior intimidated by a small girl.  
  
Kagome looked at Buffy. She didn't appear injured. She sighed, "InuYasha has many misunderstandings. He had a ... difficult childhood and does not always react well. And he does like to fight." She added quietly.  
  
"His childhood," Willow stepped up, "is that because he is a hanyou?"  
  
InuYasha jumped and gave Willow a menacing glare. Kagome nodded, "Yes, his parents died and no one, human or youkai, wanted to take him in. Most wanted to kill him." She added quietly.  
  
"I was right! Yay me!" Willow bounced before returning to reality, "I mean, that's sad about the horribly scarring childhood and all. How old was he when his parents died?"  
  
"Young," Kagome shrugged, "young enough to learn to deal with people by intimidation and fear. Or avoid them all together."  
  
InuYasha had been patient. More than patient really, since he had a suspicion that they were discussing him in those sad tones. "_Kagome, what's going on? What are you saying about me?_" he crossed his arms and scowled.  
  
"Ok, so I guess he isn't evil, exactly." Buffy acquiesced, "But we need to know how he got here. And what he is doing here. It's important."  
  
Kagome asked InuYasha, he responded, "_How the hell should I know? I'm jumping down the fucking well to get you, and the fucking thing sends me to this fucking place, where no one fucking talks right or acts right! They don't even fucking see me_!"  
  
Kagome turned her gaze to the Americans, "He says he doesn't know."  
  
There was a brief pause before Buffy ventured, "Is that it? Cause it sounded like there was more."  
  
When Kagome looked reluctant Giles added, "It is very important that we know everything about his experience to determine why he was brought here and if anything else may have made it through."  
  
Kagome frowned, they weren't going to let this go so she said in a loud voice, "He says he doesn't **fucking** know, that he was jumping down the **fucking** well to get me and the **fucking** thing sent him here, where people don't **fucking** react to him at all!"  
  
Kagome fumed, Buffy and co. blinked, InuYasha smirked. He knew what had just happened, and it gave him no small pleasure to hear Kagome talk like that. Of course he didn't know exactly what the often and passionately repeated word meant, but he could guess.  
  
"A demon with a potty mouth, who'd a guessed." Buffy finally broke the silence.  
  
"He's just upset." Kagome was calming down.  
  
"What about this well?" Giles continued the investigation. "Does it have something to do with that quest you mentioned earlier?"  
  
Kagome bit her lip. This would make InuYasha angry but it there didn't seem to be anyway around it. They would need help getting InuYasha back home. "InuYasha and I travel back and forth between the warring states era and modern day Japan. The well is our connection to each others time. We are the only ones that have been able to use it so far."  
  
"A time traveling well?" Xander asked incredulously. Kagome nodded.  
  
"What about this quest of yours?" Giles prodded.  
  
Kagome sighed, "I am the reincarnation of a powerful miko. I had a jewel, which can give tremendous power to youkai, hidden in my body without my knowledge. I knew nothing about ... anything. One day I was pulled through the well and ... long story short, the jewel was forcefully extracted, and later, while trying to retrieve it from a youkai that had stolen it from me I ... kind of shattered it. Now I must gather all the shards and keep them out of the hands of youkai."  
  
"And what is his part in this?" Buffy asked.  
  
"...He wants the jewel, but he can't see the shards," Kagome answered reluctantly, "I can see the shards, but I can't fight the battles."  
  
"So you team up. What about after you get the shards back? Then what will you do when he comes after them?" Buffy continued.  
  
Kagome paused and thought, "I guess we will have to deal with that at that time. But that is only if we both survive that long."  
  
"Hey Giles," Buffy piped up after another long pause, "What is it with fate messing with the life of nice normal untrained teenage girls huh? Why can't it go bother some twenty something Marine with all this crap?"  
  
No one seemed to have an answer to this, and the bells sudden ringing stopped anyone who might want to try.  
  
InuYasha and Kagome decided to stay put as the rest of the group headed for classes. Kagome filled InuYasha in on what had been said and Giles did what ever it is that he does when the scoobies aren't around. 


	6. An Afternoon Rest and Plans For A Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any characters there in.  
  
Chapter 6: An Afternoon Rest and Plans For A Fight  
  
The group once again gathered after classes in the library, main room this time, to discuss what to do about the prankster, and InuYasha.  
  
They were currently watching Kagome crawl silently up to what looked like a deeply asleep InuYasha, sitting propped up against the wall.  
  
Once she was close enough she got into a kneeling position.  
  
"_InuYasha, I sense a Shikon Shard_!" she whispered silently. Nothing. "_I've decided to give Miroku an heir_." Nothing. Tentatively she reached out her hands to the top of his head and stroked his ears. The first time she had done this it had been a weird compulsion to touch them, this time she really wanted to feel them. She ran her fingers down the ridge of his ears and around the back to come up the body of the ear with the fur. She repeated this, all the while wearing the look of innocent fascination, only this time she cupped all of her fingers around the ear as she stroked, smoothing the fur, molding her hand to the shape of his ear.  
  
A low contented growl arose from InuYasha just before he looked her in the eye.   
  
"_Hey Kagome_." he smirked.  
  
"Eep!" Was all she said as she jumped back blushing. "_Sorry InuYasha. I um._.." she had no good excuse. "_Um... sorry_" she uttered again as she stood and walked to the table.  
  
"_Forget about it_." InuYasha closed his eyes again. He hadn't been asleep, not much anyway. How could he? In a strange land, thick with demons, in a room with a strange man, and Kagome to protect. Not to mention the sudden addition of the other three. No, he was awake. Just really bored, tired, and curious. She had been slightly afraid when she approached him. He had wanted to know why.  
  
'_Dam_n,' he thought, he silently demanded that his ear stop tingling like that. He did his best to ignore that the tingle was spreading. Their relationship was always easier when they didn't touch. InuYasha silently dug his fingernails into his arm. How did she make him feel like that just by touching his ears? It wasn't like others hadn't rubbed his ears before. Ok so not many, his mother, her mother. A few others, since for some reason people weren't as scared of him when Kagome was around. But he had never reacted this way before. Of course he never wanted them to touch him and they always caught him by surprise, with the exception of his mother. And Kagome. But as far as he knew she had never touched his ears. If only he could understand their language he could distract himself.  
  
Kagome had joined the rest of the group at the large table.  
  
"What was that?" Buffy asked innocently.  
  
"I was curious," Kagome stared down at the book she had been trying to read earlier. "I have traveled with him a long time, I haven't had the opportunity satisfy my curiosity since I began to wonder about them."  
  
"Like how to make a dog demon purr?" Xander grinned.  
  
Kagome blushed deeply and her eyes bore holes in the book before her. The words had returned to gibberish in her embarrassment.  
  
"Leave her alone guys." Willow came to the poor girls' defense. "We have work to do, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Buffy turned to Kagome, "Where did we leave off?"  
  
Kagome looked up, "What?"  
  
"Well, we still have this little thing about InuYasha sudden appearance to deal with. Why is he here?"  
  
"He told you, it was an accident when he was coming to get me." Kagome answered slightly confused.  
  
"Right, sorry" Buffy thought back over the short interrogation.  
  
"What is the time difference between InuYasha and your times?" Giles asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kagome sighed, why was all this important. Where was her cousin? What was she going to do with InuYasha? How was she going to get him home? What did Buffy just say?  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Kagome asked, slightly embarrassed at having asked a question and let her mind wander like that.  
  
"Well, it's just that here the spell took place between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. so we were wondering when he was coming to get you and Giles was wondering about the time traveling well." Buffy repeated.  
  
"There is a seven hour time difference between Japan and California." Kagome responded. "And none between one side of the well and the other. Except for 500 years. So that means that he was coming to get me between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. I'd bet right at sunrise so he could wait for me with a big scowl for sleeping so long, and make sure that I didn't sneak off to school."  
  
"A regular Mary Sunshine huh?" Buffy looked over at the "sleeping" hanyou, "Does he ever actually sleep? I mean when he hasn't been stench bombed."  
  
Kagome looked sharply at Buffy, "Did you do that to him? His nose is very sensitive; he gets very sick for a long time!"  
  
"I was trying to bring him in alive!" Buffy defended herself.  
  
"Yes well," Giles broke in, "We still have to determine why InuYasha was brought here and what else may have been brought with him."  
  
"Why?" Kagome was cranky and suspicious now, she wanted some answers. "Why are you asking all these questions?"  
  
Giles sat down next to Kagome and explained about the ritual. "We think that InuYasha was brought through because he was, uh, will be a great warrior and that he was brought through now because he was already traveling to this time. So it was easy to just pick him up and bring him here."  
  
Kagome turned to InuYasha, "_InuYasha, Did you see or sense anything else around you when you arrived_."  
  
InuYasha blinked his eyes open, "_No, I was standing in fire. There was someone there once, just a weak little demon. Coulda killed him in my sleep if he showed up_."  
  
"No," Kagome turned back to Giles. "He said that there was only the remnant of a very weak demon that had left. He said that he wasn't at all worried about it though."  
  
"So that's good news right?" Buffy said, "That means that what ever it is making the messes is no a great demon warrior out of time and just another nuisance, right?"  
  
"Maybe," Giles looked back at his books, "but what is it then? You can't see it or feel it so how do you catch it?"  
  
"Hey!" Buffy said suddenly remembering something, "What was InuYasha doing hanging around the strip mall?"  
  
Kagome asked InuYasha, InuYasha answered after a short pause. "He says he was hunting a youkai, an invisible one with a strange sent."  
  
"He can smell it?" Buffy asked brightening.  
  
"Yes. He says so."  
  
Buffy and Giles traded looks.   
  
"Would InuYasha be willing to help us track this demon?" Giles asked.  
  
Kagome asked him, and InuYasha answered, "Yes." In ENGLISH.  
  
Everyone stared. Kagome asked, "InuYasha! You speak English?"  
  
InuYasha shook his head, "_No, I've just picked up a few things_."  
  
Kagome told the rest what he said, then asked, "Where is my cousin?"  
  
"Oh!" Willow jumped, "She had to stay after chemistry, she was late and caused a small explosion because of it. I was supposed to tell you but forgot when we walked in on the whole ear thing. What do they feel like anyway?"  
  
Kagome blushed and shrugged, "Soft, and sorta stiff. Like a dog ears, I guess. So now what? Are we going to go hunt this thing down now or what?"  
  
"It seems to attack during the day, mostly." Giles said, "I believe that it won't show it's self again before tomorrow."  
  
"The big question is, what do we do with dog boy over there." Buffy looked at InuYasha. His eyes were closed again but his ears were alert.  
  
"Um, I think I should keep an eye on him." Kagome was also looking at InuYasha, he didn't look good. Of course if Buffy had stink bombed him that could explain it. But it didn't look like he had been eating well, "But, how can I explain him to my family?"  
  
"Well, your cousin seemed pretty Ok with him." Willow piped up, "So, odds are, her father would be too. You just need to get a good cover story for him. Sara already thinks that he's a sickly albino, maybe he's a runaway too?"  
  
"To America?" Kagome said confused.  
  
"Hey!" Xander started defensively, "What's wrong with America?"  
  
Kagome shrugged, "Just kinda far away and... not... Japan? I just can't see InuYasha running away to America, he has enough trouble with just the differences between my time and his."  
  
"...Fair enough," Buffy said, "but your family doesn't know that. And America is as believable a destination for a runaway as any other country. More believable then some. So, InuYasha, already known to be a reckless guy, ran away from home... why?"  
  
"Because he's a bad ass and they do stuff like that?" Xander looked at the demon leaning against the wall. He was scowling and had his arms crossed. Xander still didn't trust him. Just because he had a human girlfriend didn't make him a good guy.  
  
"Family problems." Buffy stated, "I mean he did have a bad child hood, so why not?"  
  
"A death in the family." Willow suggested, "Maybe he ran away to get away from the grief."  
  
"Ok, think you can make something out of that?" Buffy turned back to Kagome.  
  
Kagome nodded, "He ran away because he couldn't deal with his emotions. That sounds right." She said, mostly to herself. "So, I take InuYasha to my family's home and tell them this lie and hope they don't question his appearance?"  
  
"Pretty much." Buffy stood and stretched, "The way your cousin reacted you shouldn't have a problem. If they notice the ears just say it's a birth defect."  
  
"InuYasha wouldn't like that." Kagome warned.  
  
"Then it's a good thing he can't speak English then isn't it." Buffy smiled.  
  
"_Hey Bitch, what are you saying about me_?" InuYasha glared at the group from his seat.  
  
"_Nothing, InuYasha_," Kagome waved her hand dismissively, "_we're just thinking of what to tell my family_."  
  
"Well, since the baddy isn't going to come around tonight I suggest we all go home and get some rest." Buffy turned to Kagome. "Lets meet at the strip mall tomorrow... say 10ish?" Kagome nodded. "Great I guess InuYasha can show you the way."  
  
Just then Sara walked in the library, "Sorry I'm late Kagome, lets get home, I'm hungry."  
  
A/N: There will be fighting next chapter, I promise. And I know the ear thing is boardering on OOC, if not actually, but I couldn't edit it out. My muse wouldn't let me... besides, it's not that bad. 


	7. Perfume Strikes

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Chapter 7: Perfume Strikes

Kagome's cousins had bought the story, all of it. Failed to ever notice the ears, claws, fangs and sword, as any one from Sunnydale should, and set him up in the guest room. Kagome was now sharing Sara's room. And, thanks to the hint of Kagome's scent still left in the guest room, InuYasha finally got a little sleep.

That night before bed Kagome called her mom and told her the good news and pretended to talk to InuYasha mother for a while. No one thought it odd that InuYasha didn't talk to her.

The next morning three teenagers stood around the strip mall looking bored. They probebly would have been picked up for skipping school, but one of them was an albino with dog ears, claws and fangs. So no one noticed at all.

Kagome cominted on this and on her family's lack of reaction.

"Welcome to Sunnydale." Buffy smiled, "There's a huge consintration of demons here because of the Hellmouth. So how do the people react to all this terror and murder and disapperiances? By ignoring them. That's why InuYasha had so much trouble when he first got here. No one wanted to see him so they didn't. Must have been frusterating for him."

"Yes." InuYasha said. Kagome had helped him with his english, with a good helping of tv of course. Now he could understand a lot more and follow more of the conversation.

After an hour or so they started trading storys.

"He tried to _kill_ you?" Buffy balked, "And you still decided to travel with him?"

"Yes..." Kagome paused, "He just wanted the jewel. And he has never tried to kill me since."

"Oh, well, that's ok then." Buffy shook her head and leaned against a pillar with InuYasha.

"Keh." InuYasha said by way of explanation. Suddenly InuYasha stiffened. "It's here."

"Where?" the girls asked.

InuYasha frowned, he waved his arm generally up wind.

"Great." Buffy sighed. They started to follow InuYasha as he slowly moved along the sidewalk following the scent.

"Look!" Kagome pointed the air on a telephone pole where she could see a shimmering half image. "There it is!"

InuYasha and Buffy looked, and saw nothing. InuYasha however jumped to the top of the pole and swung with his claws. He grazed something.

"It jumped away! To the electrical lines. DON'T FOLLOW it's like lightening!" Kagome was quick to realize that the others couldn't see it. This sort of thing happened to her all the time now.

"Keh," was InuYasha's intelligent reply and he jumped anyway. the thing wasn't bleeding but it was giving off a stronger scent, he didn't need Kagome to point the way right now. He landed on the support and tried again, missing completely this time. However the creature didn't. An electrical line broke and floated at InuYasha. He ducked and stood his distance. The wound smell was already fading and the creature seemed to be retreating.

"It's over there! On the gargoyle!" Kagome shouted. InuYasha nodded and began to turn, when the sparking line lunged at Kagome.

Buffy, who had been feeling kind of useless during this whole thing thought that now she could help. But was left the stand once again on the sidelines watching in awe as InuYasha ran back to them, faster than she had ever seen him move, and swept Kagome to safety.

"_Are you Ok_?" InuYasha asked.

"_Yes, but... it's gone now._" Kagome said sadly. It always seemed like that was the way it happened. She got into trouble and the bad guy got away because everyone had to rescue her.

"_Keh who cares? It's just a stupid nuisance_." InuYasha released Kagome rather roughly and stepped back. "Now what?" he turned to Buffy.

"Well," Buffy looked at the damage. Not to bad. "We leave before people come to investigate this. There has only ever been one attack a day, well at a time anyway."

So Buffy went back to school and InuYasha and Kagome went back to the library.

-

The next day was fairly similar; however the attack was more directed. Early on Kagome was taken out by a ceramic gerbil, InuYasha had difficulty with all the scented candles, not quite nauseating, but almost, and he had to take deep breaths in order to find the demon without Kagome. So he got in a good hit before it disappeared and Buffy got to feel useful protecting a slowly reviving Kagome from clay and wax statues of small fury creatures.

Of course latter they found out that shortly after the attack on the nasty little useless smelly stuff store. A restaurants' kitchen exploded. InuYasha sniffed it out, it was the creature.

"I think what we have is an emotion eater." Giles barley looked up from his book, "From the way this started out I would say a fairly young one. But growing fast. Soon it will be able to possess people. They only ever grow this big or powerful around things like the hellmouth. Usually they are just content to sit on someone's shoulder and cultivate thoughts that will provide the proper emotion. At this rate the thing will be a real demon soon."

"Kagome, it sounds like this thing is targeting you and InuYasha as you two are the only ones capable of seeing it. I think everyone involved in this should stick together. I think InuYasha and Kagome should stay with Buffy until this thing is over. So the creature doesn't try to use your family against you Kagome, and so that Buffy will be protected since she can't see or sense it."

"Wait, what am I supposed to tell my Mom?" Buffy asked incredulously, "I want to have an indefinite sleepover with a guy with dog ears? My mom isn't a native of Sunnydale! The daze hasn't completely gotten to her yet. Besides he's a boy."

"Tell her that Willows pin pale and her...fiancée are on a trip to America and they can't stay with Willow, that sounds good don't you think?"

"Fiancée!!" the girls nearly shouted. InuYasha just looked confused.

"I'm not even in High school yet!" Kagome argued.

"Your not?" Buffy turned temporarily to face Kagome.

"We have a different system." Kagome said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Boyfriend then, look this is the best way to keep you all safe."

-

It was agreed, after much argument and title changing, that InuYasha and Kagome would stay with Buffy. Kagome explained to her family that InuYasha had made a friend here that needed some help for a while so he would be staying with them, now that they had a home, and Kagome would be going as a translator, fiancée tripped him up so why not? Some how they bought it. And so did Buffy's mom. And if Buffy hadn't paused quite so long before settling on the title Kagome's .....friend, he wouldn't have been banished to the couch downstairs and far away from the bedrooms. For as long as the women decided to sleep.

InuYasha Kehed and curled up against the living room wall in his usual position, hugging his sword.

The girls headed upstairs and discussed trading the sword for a teddy bear and were just about to take a picture of him and do it in photo shop when InuYasha barked. Actually barked.

"I think he heard us." Kagome whispered.

"I guess this means it would be a sacrificial camera?" Buffy returned it to her desk drawer. Kagome nodded and prepared for bed.

The next day was when the real problems started. At least for our group. It was a Saturday so the whole group was out on the town looking for trouble. Midmorning InuYasha caught the scent of the creature.

We have to be careful" Buffy explained, "It seems to do one kinda small thing to distract or hurt InuYasha and Kagome cause they are the only ones who can stop it at all, and then it goes and dose something big and terrible while they deal with the first thing."

"So what do we do?" Xander asked

"If things start happening, run away and pretend you don't know us." She replied, "Then if you see a way to help without calling to much attention do it. Protect Kagome or flee with her if she is wounded. Got it."

Xander and Willow nodded. "It's nice to have such important roles huh, Xander?" Willow said sarcastically.

"Yep, just hope I can handle run like a girl and hide." He returned.

"I'm sure you'll have no problem with that." InuYasha smirked back at them.

"Ouch, you know if he wasn't part demon, and quite so tall, I'd kick his but for that." Xander said unconvincingly.

InuYasha snorted.

Then he sneezed.

"It went in there." He pointed to a small perfume store, while he held a sleeve to his nose.

"Its not that bad you baby." Kagome marched ahead of him. And looked in the window.

InuYasha sniffed again and frowned. "It left, and then came back."

He sneezed again, "It doesn't smell bad, but like alcohol, and flowers, and rotten fruit."

"Then stay out here," Kagome said, "Find out were it went and I'll have a look around, it doesn't look like its still here anyway."

InuYasha nodded and left with Xander to track it, it was still too early for it to attack anyway.

Buffy, Willow and Kagome walked inside the shop and started to snoop around.

Buffy started a conversation with the owner of the shop, to see if anything strange happened this morning.

"Nothing that I can remember." The Women said, she had short brown hair, small brown eyes and a straight blue dress. "Well the vat of my latest experiment seems to have relocated itself to that corner some how. I was just about to get the dolly to help move it back when you walked in."

"What is this experiment?" Buffy asked.

"Pheromones." She replied shortly, "I've concentrated the mixture in that vat greatly and am slipping it into my perfumes in different dilutions to see what works. You see this batch is special it soaks into the skin and mimics your own natural pheromones. Or at least that is the way it is passed off to men."

"Why would you do that?" Willow asked. Having wandered over.

"It is supposed to tickle the mans latent instincts."

Willow was getting an uneasy feeling, "And what if the guys instincts aren't that latent?" willow asked.

The lady smiled, "Human noses require quiet a punch to get a reaction out of them." she replied.

Just then a loud crack was heard in the far corner. The vat had tipped over and cracked open. A thick liquid and almost thicker vapor poured out and flooded the shop. Kagome stepped back as was enveloped by the fog. "It was behind the vat." She coughed.

"What?" the owner ran to right the vat and righted it to stop it from leaking.

"A Cat," Buffy yelled, "It pushed over the vat and ran away!"

By the time they left the shop they were all covered in the mist.

"Um, Kagome?" Willow started, "I think we should get you home and get you a shower right now."

"Why? The demon is still out there." Kagome asked.

"Um, that stuff was supposed to bring out latent instincts," Willow explained, hesitantly. "and Inu youkai instincts are very not latent."

"Oh," Kagome replied thoughtfully. "If you think that would be a problem, then we should all go shower."

"And if Xander had a cell phone I'd be right there with you guys." Buffy put in, "but as he doesn't I have to tell them what happened. Don't worry, I can handle myself."

So Willow and Kagome went to Buff's to shower and Buffy went to find InuYasha and Xander. She should have let them wonder.

-

InuYasha and Xander were standing on the corner about a block away, staring intently at the sky. InuYasha could feel something building, the clear blueness of it had to be a cover.

"Hey guys," Buffy said from a few feet away, no reason to get too close.

"Hey Buff, whatcha doin' way over there." Xander inquired.

"Where is Kagome?" InuYasha lowered his gaze to Buffy.

"Ah well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she started.

"What happened?" He barked.

"Nothing! She's fine! Just fine. But there was this accident. We all got sprayed with this experimental sex potion thought we should keep our distance from males, that's all. So... keep up the good work! Later!" Buffy started to back up. InuYasha was looking less angry/annoyed but Buffy had an idea that that was not necessarily a good thing.

"Why do you smell like... sex?" InuYasha asked, his eyes were getting glassy. "No... like a ...promise?" he looked intently at Buffy.

"I don't smell anything." Xander sniffed the air.

"Sop that!" Buffy told Xander. "InuYasha, it's just that weird perfume we got sprayed with, calm down, uh go jump in the lake or something." Buffy continued to back away, the curious drugged look was slowly being replaced with a drugged predatory look. Buffy was getting a little freaked.

"WE?" InuYasha smiled, "Kagome smells like this?"

'Damn.' "Uh, no, no she already left the shop." Buffy lied.

Then InuYasha was beside her. He had defiantly been holding back when they fought. "_Where is Kagome_?"

'Oh good now he's forgotten to speak English' Buffy thought quickly, "I don't know what you just said." She said getting a little unnerved by the proximity and look on the face of the hanyou.

InuYasha growled in frustration and took off toward the perfume shop.

So Xander walked up to Buffy, "You think he'll find Kagome?"

Buffy glared at him, "Get a cellphone!" then she took off more directly for her home.


	8. The Smell of Promise

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Chapter 8: The Smell of Promise

Kagome had already taken her shower, Willow had insisted that she go first, and changed into a blue sundress. She had scrubbed so hard that she thought her skin would come off. She could almost feel the stuff seeping deeper into skin. But at least SHE couldn't smell it any more. The sent didn't mean anything to her, it only had a strange smell, like hot oil or something. Would it really have an effect on InuYasha like Willow and Buffy seemed to think?

She was in the kitchen leaning against the island, and toweling off her hair when she saw InuYasha come through the door, then close it carefully behind him. That was encouraging, right? New, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?

InuYasha turned to her, "_I was waiting for you_." He said huskily, "_I was waiting for you to finish scrubbing that shit off of you and for HER to leave_."

"InuYasha?" Kagome dropped her towel. He had a funny look in his eyes, "_Aren't you supposed to be hunting_?" she asked nervously.

"_No_," he was staring into her eyes so intently, then his eyes wondered down and seemed to stop below her waist. "_I'm supposed to be ...somewhere else right now_."

Kagome swallowed hard, "_Wh-where_?" she whispered.

InuYasha smiled. It was the scariest smile that she had ever seen. It looked like he wanted to eat her. Some how she thought that wasn't what he was up to.

InuYasha continued to walk toward her, slowly, like he was trying to keep from scarring his prey. Which he was. Suddenly he jumped forward planting his hands on either side off her. Not touching her, but very close. Kagome pressed herself against the island in an attempt to back away, hands clutching the edge.

InuYasha leaned over and sniffed at her damp shoulder. "_That's good._" He said returning to his original position, eyes closed. "_the stink is gone, all that's left is promise_." He open his eyes and looked into hers, underneath all the rest she could see concern, what about she didn't know.

'_No other man should be around her now _.' He thought.

"_You can't get rid of that now,_" he continued, "_it's too deep inside you._" his eyes dropped with his voice, "_I'd like to be that deep_-"

"InuYasha!" Kagome gasped, as much from the words as from the fact that he was now pressing his body up against her and had started... moving. "_What a-are you doing_?" she felt something bump against her.

"_Shh_," InuYasha replied wrapping his arms gently around her securing her upper torso lightly against his, pressing his face in her hair, "_don't worry about it_." He mumbled.

"InuYasha," she decided this was FAR too forward, too fast. She hadn't even been kissed and now, suddenly, THIS. Worse, she was beginning to really enjoy the way he was rubbing against her. It was time to stop this. "_that had better be your sword_." She said, _almost_ indignantly.

He gave a throaty chuckle and kissed her neck, "_Sure_." Was his only answer.

'_Does that count as a kiss_?' she thought, '_No, wait, trying to stop this. If I can only get him to back away from me – AAH_' Kagome squeaked when InuYasha shifted position, allowing him greater access and control. That earned her another chuckle.

However InuYasha was getting frustrated. This wouldn't do. The material of his fire rat armor was thick and rough, it prevented him _feeling_ her. Maybe he should just remove it. Maybe remove some of her clothes. He could still deal with that right?

He growled quickening his movements. Thinking never seemed to help get out of this mood anyway.

In front of him Kagome squeaked again and adjusted herself unconsciously, improving things all around. She had begun to pant against his chest, all thoughts of stopping gone, after all they weren't _really_ doing anything were they?

"_Good, good, Kagome_" he whispered.

"Ok guys, I have to eat here." Buffys' voice stopped all actions in the room.

InuYasha released Kagome and spun around to kill Buffy for interrupting. But Buffy was already running for the front door.

"_SIT_!"

Thump.

"_Bitch_!"

"_I can't let you kill Buffy, she's only trying to help_!" Kagome keeled next to a flat InuYasha. He growled his response.

"How did you do that?" Buffy asked.

Kagome sighed, "His rosary. It was a gift from Keade so InuYasha would have a difficult time killing me and getting the jewel. I say "_SIT_!" and he is compelled to the ground."

"So why didn't you use it on him before?" Buffy asked.

Kagome blushed, well retained her blush. "He surprised me, I had to get him away to use it or I would be trapped under him."

"Ah... is he, always like _that_?" Buffy returned her attention back to InuYasha.

Kagome also looked at InuYasha. The spell had released him and he was now curled up in a ball, whimpering. "_InuYasha! Are you Ok_?"

Anger having left him, he was left to deal with the results of a very sensitive organ having been compelled to the ground rather abruptly. InuYasha just glared at the women.

AAAA

"_InuYasha stay in there, we'll talk later_." Kagome keeled by the cage in the backroom of the library.

InuYasha only nodded and remained sitting.

As long as he was kept several feet from the afflicted girls he was relatively ok. He wouldn't have reacted as badly as he had if Buffy hadn't been soaked in the stuff when she approached him. As it was the only thing keeping him from Kagome's side was the cage, a conscious reminder that if he did get to her side all he would want to do is touch her. And if he touched her.... 'Look Bars!' he thought desperatly, 'I am not an animal.'

If InuYasha hadn't been so busy focusing on his non-animal nature he probably would have been laughing his head off. He wasn't the only one affected by the experimental perfume. Just the one with the most violent reaction. The three girls sat at the small table, now pulled to the wall opposite the cage, the two males of the group were perched nervously near the door, looking ready to bolt.

"So the way I see it," Buffy started suddenly, "this demon figured it could distract both InuYasha and Kagome indefinitely with this little stunt. Making the rest of us once again blind and ... um, not smelling stuff?"

"Couldn't we still use Kagome's ability to see this thing?" Xander asked from the doorway.

Willow shook her head. "The cage is just a psychological barrier, when Kagome went to the bathroom InuYasha followed her."

"Into the girls' bathroom?" Xander asked.

"No," Buffy shook her head, "I managed to convince him that there wouldn't be any guys in there. But he's like her shadow."

"A shadow with hands." Willow added, "But I have an idea. Maybe if we use some of that stink bomb stuff, we could counter act the pheromones."

"That stuff fades too fast." Buffy complained, "Besides, I don't want to smell all gross."

"Well, I mostly thought that Kagome could use it." Willow amended, "After all, InuYasha doesn't seem affected by us. Right InuYasha?"

InuYasha stared at Kagome.

"But... I don't want to smell gross either." Kagome said anxiously.

"It washes off pretty fast." Buffy said.

"You didn't want to wear it." Kagome gave Buffy a flat look.

"I-I would," Buffy back peddled quickly, "If it was my boyfriend in the cage. Hey, I have to go to live here and attend classes for a few more years, and high school girls are harsh about that kind of thing."

"Just a little bit." Willow explained, "Just enough to repulse InuYasha."

"Just what I want to do, repulse InuYasha." Kagome sighed, "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Are you sure about that?" Buffy asked semi-teasingly, "after that scene in the kitchen I might rethink that if I were you."

Kagome blushed deeply. She and InuYasha were defiantly going to have a long talk when this was over.

"What happened in the kitchen?" Xander asked, suddenly much more interested in the conversation.

"Nothing." The girls' chorused.

"Where is this stuff?" Kagome asked reluctantly.

Willow got up to get what was left of the stink bomb concoction.

"By the way Kagome," Buffy asked casually, "Maybe you shouldn't wear that weird necklace of yours when we go hunting the imp again. The bottle might break and that would be bad, why do you wear that anyway?"

Kagome bit her lip, this was going to make her sound stupid, "I keep the shards of the Shikon No Tama in that bottle-"

"You brought shards of the Shikon No Tama to the Hell mouth?" Giles stood up suddenly, "What on earth would possess you to do such a thing?"

InuYasha's ears perked a little and his expression darkened, '_Kagome brought the jewel_?'

"Well, I didn't know I was bringing it to some place called the hell mouth!" Kagome jumped up and defended herself quickly, "And Sunnydale doesn't exactly start any alarm bells in MY mind! Besides, he last time I left the shards at home a youkai was attracted to it and InuYasha barely arrived in time to save the day! Now if you'll excuse me I think InuYasha wants to yell at me now!"

Kagome stalked off to fight with InuYasha, who was giving her dark looks.

"So there." Buffy said to Giles, "If she is supposed to guard these things she really couldn't leave them lying around."

"I know, it's just that..." Giles looked at Kagome and raised his voice over the yelling, "We have to keep them safe, if they fell into the wrong hands-"

"_SIT_!"

"-it would be a disaster." He finished in a normal voice.

"I hate it when he calls me that." Kagome stomped back to her seat.

"I know some guys I'd like to be able to do that to." Buffy looked over at the pile of InuYasha in the cage.

"But you can do that without the rosary." Willow said.

"Yeah," Buffy sighed, "But to be able to do it with a word. Just open your mouth and BAMB! Down they go."

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Giles caught everyone's attention.

A/N: I love the reviews I get for this story, and I'm glad that you all are enjoying it. Later. :)


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